Considering that in this situation, the cops were the Rhodes scholars who decided 'yes it is perfectly reasonable to let civilians drive around in police cars, what could possibly go wrong?', this is indeed their fault (along with the meatheads on the council). The civilians shouldn't have acted like dicks either, but they never would have been in a position to do so if the cops/city council weren't pants-on-farking-head retarded.

AliceBToklasLives:Give me a patrol car and no doubt I'd turn into an authoritarian asshole

This. I'd start with the best intentions while trying to uphold the law and protect the community...but within a week I'd be flashing my sirens to get through mall traffic and arresting anyone who looked at me funny, wears jeggings or sports a barbed wire tattoo.

miss diminutive:AliceBToklasLives: Give me a patrol car and no doubt I'd turn into an authoritarian asshole

This. I'd start with the best intentions while trying to uphold the law and protect the community...but within a week I'd be flashing my sirens to get through mall traffic and arresting anyone who looked at me funny, wears jeggings or sports a barbed wire tattoo.

I would love to abuse the taser. What's up with that no socks look? Zap.

This. I'd start with the best intentions while trying to uphold the law and protect the community...but within a week I'd be flashing my sirens to get through mall traffic and arresting anyone who looked at me funny, wears jeggings or sports a barbed wire tattoo.

I would love to abuse the taser. What's up with that no socks look? Zap.

miss diminutive:AliceBToklasLives: Give me a patrol car and no doubt I'd turn into an authoritarian asshole

This. I'd start with the best intentions while trying to uphold the law and protect the community...but within a week I'd be flashing my sirens to get through mall traffic and arresting anyone who looked at me funny, wears jeggings or sports a barbed wire tattoo.

If I understand TFA, these were not ordinary civilians, these were teenagers ! What the hell did they expect them to do? Act like cops? Put a kid ( and some adults ) behind the wheel of a hotrod, add flashing lights and sirens and all hell will break out. I think the tornados have sucked the brains out of Kansas.

Yeah not sure when that came into common parlance. Probably started around the time Nixon declared war on the hippies, brown people and poor. Reagan probably helped step it up a bit too. Generally reflective of the militarization of the police force. Not a good thing, the cops ARE civilians. Even though the law gives them preferential treatment they are still subject to it. Though obviously the importance of this distinction is being forgotten in the name of people being scared of their own shadow.There is a reason why Rome forbade uniformed soldiers within its walls. And a reason the Roman Republic became the Roman Empire when Augustus marched his army through the gates.

hardinparamedic:Ah, the fun of allowing volunteers to not be held to the same standards that a career person would. Also known as why Tennessee got rid of it's constables.

Fark that, if I were given this opportunity, I would triple the number of speeding and cellphone-while-driving tickets. Also every motorcycle that goes down my street would be getting cited for noise complaints...

/narc//not really///more qualified than most civilians and probably some officers though

sweet-daddy-2:If I understand TFA, these were not ordinary civilians, these were teenagers ! What the hell did they expect them to do? Act like cops? Put a kid ( and some adults ) behind the wheel of a hotrod, add flashing lights and sirens and all hell will break out. I think the tornados have sucked the brains out of Kansas.

Yeah, that was the part that blew me away too... WTF is in the water over there, anyway?

A wise man once said: the military fights the enemies of the state, while the police serve and protect the people. And when you use the military as police, the people quickly become the enemies of the state.

Cucullen:Not a good thing, the cops ARE civilians. Even though the law gives them preferential treatment they are still subject to it.

Most of the laws are written to exclude police, if there's any semblance of being on duty. Thus, they are barely subject to it. And being subject to laws also requires prosecution, which is also extremely forgiving of crimes committed by police.

The difference between police and civilians is extremely obvious. If a civilian shoots an off-duty cop in self-defense, he'll be going to jail if he even survives the process of being arrested. If the off-duty cop shoots a civilian in self-defense in a similar situation, his buddies in blue will be patting him on the back and the ADA will be laughing "You want me to prosecute what?!"

Ni:Most of the laws are written to exclude police, if there's any semblance of being on duty. Thus, they are barely subject to it. And being subject to laws also requires prosecution, which is also extremely forgiving of crimes committed by police.

What.

Make a point about departments destroying evidence or covering up actual incidences of brutality. Make a point at how the police departments in the United States continue to tolerate risky and irresponsible behaviors that endanger the public rather than face off with unions over the likehood that something was wrong with the paperwork.

Don't blatantly lie about what the law says, and doesn't say

Ni:If a civilian shoots an off-duty cop in self-defense, he'll be going to jail if he even survives the process of being arrested. If the off-duty cop shoots a civilian in self-defense in a similar situation, his buddies in blue will be patting him on the back and the ADA will be laughing "You want me to prosecute what?!"